Carney On Judicial Nominees: 'This Situation Has Gotten Out Of Control'

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said "it's irrefutable" that the Republican party's reaction to President Obama's judicial nominations "has gotten out of control" in a press briefing Tuesday.

Asked why President Obama appeared "heated" during a press conference in the Rose Garden this morning announcing his judicial nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court, Carney cited the GOP's delay in approving nominations.

"The president spoke today because this is an issue that is vital to the carrying out of justice in our system of government," Carney said. "As the president made clear, his nominees have been subjected to political obstruction repeatedly."

The press secretary cited Caitlin Halligan, whose nomination to the Court was withdrawn in March, as an example of a highly qualified judicial nominee filibustered by the GOP.

When a reporter asked him to address Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) suggestion that seats on the D.C. Circuit be shifted away to address the heavier workloads of other courts, Carney said that claim is "spurious on its face."